The Journey That Changed Her Forever
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: A look back on Isabel's backstory to how she became the girl she is today. Done as a request for Lantern Power. :)
1. The Ring

**Lantern Power, who owns Isabel, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Sonic the Hedgehog belongs to Sega. The Percy Jackson series belongs to its respective owners. I own nothing.**

* * *

 **The Journey That Changed Her Forever**

 **Chapter 1: The Ring**

Twelve-year-old Isabel sighed as she finished reading her book about Percy Jackson. "Man, I wish I could be like that," she said aloud. "Go travel to neat places. That would be so cool."

She wished she could, but her parents weren't big on traveling and mostly stayed home, something that saddened Isabel a little as she really wanted to see what other places were like. Her classmates got to go to other countries for the summers while she got to just stay at home. Granted, she didn't mind not having school, but it would be nice to go somewhere for the summer too. Sighing, she picked up the next book in the series and began reading it, hearing her mother come upstairs to announce it was dinner time, so she set aside her book, but the longing to travel stayed with her, like a seed that was just waiting to sprout.

One day, while she was home alone as her parents were off at work, she was walking through the backyard, enjoying the day and the bright sun when something caught her eye and she looked to see a gold glint nearby. "Gold? Did Mom perhaps lose some of her jewelry out here?" She asked herself. She walked towards it, knowing how much her mother would be happy if her lost jewelry was returned. But to her surprise, it was a large gold ring, perfectly round. It was too small to be a bracelet, but it was very shiny. She had never seen such a shiny finish on anything like it before.

Suddenly, the ring vibrated and flew out of her hand, making her jump as it began to grow in size and hover over the ground while the inside part of the ring glowed a yellowish-gold color, becoming a Portal. Isabel's eyes grew wide as she saw this. "A portal?" She asked aloud. "Whoa."

Curiosity getting the best of her, but caution still making her pause, Isabel looked at the portal and then cautiously and curiously stepped into it, walking through it and a strange, but not unpleasant, sensation came over her. "It feels like I'm walking through a door," she said to herself as she saw stepped out of the ring and into another world. "Whoa."

From her surroundings, she guessed she was on the other side of the Portal and the area was green and lush and looked like a paradise. "This place is beautiful," she said to herself.

She then saw something in front of her and stopped in surprise. There was a creature that looked like a porcupine or hedgehog with blue quills. The creature had a look of shock on his face and his body was in a fighting position. She noted his white gloves and red shoes, guessing he was a runner. As she stood watching him, he relaxed his stance and stood.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a human," he admitted. "But it's better than having to deal with an enemy."

Noting the appreciative tone of his voice, she grew curious. "Um, I don't think we're enemies since I don't know you," she said. "I'm Isabel."

He smiled, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Isabel," he said as they shook hands. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" She asked. "That's a cool name."

"Thanks," he said. "You've got a cool name too."

"Thanks," she said. "Hey, Sonic, what is this place?"

"The Green Hill Zone, part of my home," he said before looking curious. "Isabel, how did you get here?"

"I found a gold ring in my backyard and it opened up into that portal," she said. "I got curious and walked through it, but wasn't sure what I'd find."

Sonic nodded. "You found a Warp Ring," he said. "And since you crossed though it, guess it's self-explanatory as to what it does."

They watched the ring shrink down and she picked it up, handing it to him, but he gently closed her hand over it. "You hold onto it so that you can get back home," he said with a smile. "And that way, you can visit here to whenever you'd like."

She looked at him. "For real?" She asked hopefully.

"For real," he said with a smile as she pocketed the ring, excitement filling her. He then looked in the distance before looking back at her. "Hey, you want to come meet some friends of mine?"

"I'd love that," she said, eager to meet some new friends.

"Well, is it okay if I carry you there? It'll be a lot faster."

She gave him a curious look. "Um, okay," she said.

Sonic picked her up bridal style and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hold on," he said and began running.

Isabel then saw why he had said it'd be faster if he carried her. He ran like the speed of light. "Wow, you're fast!" She said.

"Fastest hedgehog around," he said with a grin. "No one tops my speed."

"I can believe that," she said as they arrived at New Mobotropolis. The city was amazing and Sonic led her over to a building where several creatures were doing stuff and he led her to one that looked like a two-tailed fox working on an airplane. "Hi, Sonic," the fox said in greeting.

"Hey, Tails," he said, greeting the fox with a fist bump before turning to Isabel. "Isabel, this is Tails, one of my best and closest friends. Tails, this is Isabel. She's new here."

Tails smiled. "Welcome to New Mobotropolis," he said in a friendly manner.

"Thanks," Isabel said, shaking his hand.

The others, curious, came over to meet her and she greeted them all, happy to meet them and they seemed delighted to be friends with a human who was nice. But while they were happy to meet an ally, some grew very concerned.

"I'm not sure it's safe for her to stay here, Sonic," Espio said. "While she is our ally, she may not always be safe with our enemies around."

"Espio's right," Knuckles said, looking up at Isabel. "No offense, kid, but Eggman is not someone you want to run into."

"Who's Eggman?" She asked, curious.

"Our sworn enemy," Sonic said. "He's been trying to take over Mobius and steal the seven Chaos Emeralds, gems so powerful they can destroy or create."

"But they also have powers that we don't completely understand," Espio said.

"Okay," she said. "But…can I still visit you guys?"

They all looked at each other. "I don't see why not," Sonic said.

"Sonic, are you sure?" Knuckles asked.

"She's already used the Warp Ring and knows what it can do, Knuckles," he said. "And I trust her."

Espio looked at Isabel. "If we do allow you to visit, you can't tell anyone about this and you have to keep the Warp Ring on you at all times," he said. "Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I understand," she said.

Knuckles nodded. "Okay," he said, though he still had some uncertainty.

Sonic smiled. "Alright," he said. "Isabel, whenever you want to use the Warp Ring, hold in out in front of you and when you feel it vibrate, let it go and it'll open up to your world. When you cross over, reach out for the ring and it'll return to you."

She nodded. "Thanks, Sonic," she said, giving him a hug. "I'll be sure to visit you guys."

"I'll hold you to that, Izzy," he said with a smile.

Smiling back, she returned home, grabbing the Warp Ring and putting it in her pocket. She then ran inside her house and noted the time. "Alright," she said with a grin. "I knew it. Another world, time stands still here."

She couldn't wait to visit her new friends again soon.

* * *

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	2. Rules

**Chapter 2: Rules**

A couple days later, Isabel activated the ring and went back to Sonic's world, wanting to see her new friends and explore more. She landed near a building and looked to see who was around, spying Knuckles nearby and she grinned, coming up behind him quietly after putting the ring back safely in her pocket.

Knuckles was speaking with Espio and Vector when he felt hands land lightly on his shoulders and he jumped with a startled yell, landing nearby and going into a fighting stance, making Isabel laugh as she waved. "Hi, guys!" She said brightly.

Vector smiled. "What's up, Isabel?" He asked, holding out a fist for a fist bump, which she gave him.

"I got bored and so decided to visit you guys," she said with a smile.

Espio smiled. "You're quite good at sneaking up on someone," he said.

To hear praise like that from the ninja himself made her feel happy. "Thanks," she said.

Knuckles came up to them, a small scowl on his face before he sighed. "I still don't know about you coming here," he said.

"Aw, come on, Knuckles. I stay out of trouble," she said.

"Not saying you get into trouble, but there's a lot of things here that aren't totally safe."

She pouted. "Stop being a stick in the mud, hot head. I'll stay out of areas that are dangerous."

Now those who knew Knuckles knew he had a temper if provoked, but to Espio's and Vector's surprise, he just smirked and shook his head. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm in a good mood today, kid," he said without heat.

She giggled. "As if you can stay mad at me," she said, hugging him. He spluttered for a moment before returning her hug, making Espio and Vector smile.

Sonic came zipping by and stopped. "I thought I heard a Warp Ring," he said with a smile.

"Sonic!" Isabel exclaimed, hugging him and he returned the hug.

"How you doing, Izzy?" He asked.

"I'm good. Thought I'd pop by for a visit," she said.

"That's good, cause I wanted to talk with you about something."

They began walking through the city. "What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I was thinking, I think I need to give you a few rules for when you come visit here. Rules that will help you stay safe."

Seeing as she didn't know quite what this world was like, she nodded. "Okay, so what are the rules?" She asked.

Pleased that she seemed to see that it was for her safety, he smiled. "Okay, rule number 1: You cannot leave the city by yourself and can only go with a familiar Mobian like Amy, Knuckles, or myself."

She nodded and then grew thoughtful. "Would Tails, Espio, and Vector be okay to go with?" She asked.

He nodded. "And if you do go with them, you have to stay with them at all times," he said, to which she nodded. "Alright, rule number 2: You cannot go anywhere near the prison."

"Okay, but where is it so I know to avoid it?"

He pointed to a building that was on the outskirts of the city and was heavily guarded. "Okay, I won't go near there," she agreed.

Sonic gently touched her shoulder. "We've got some very dangerous enemies in there," he said gently. "Some would love to use you as leverage against us."

She nodded again. "What's rule number 3?" She asked.

"Always listen to me and my friends when it comes to serious matters and never argue back," he continued. "Last but not least, if you ever use the Warp Ring and it accidently opens up miles away from the city, you have to put the hoodie from your purple jacket up on your head so no one can see your face, and if you get chased by a Badnik, run towards the city as fast as possible and shout my name as loud as you can. I'll hear you and come to you, okay?"

Isabel nodded solemnly. "Okay, I can follow those rules," she said.

He placed a hand on her hand. "They're for your safety," he said. "We're just being concerned friends and want you to be safe when you visit us."

She smiled. "I know," she said. "And I'm grateful to have caring friends like you guys."

He smiled. "Come on, Charmy and Cream asked me to ask you if you'd play with them," he said.

That sounded like a great idea. "I'd love to," she said.

They went back to the main part of the city and Cheese chirped happily at seeing her and flew up to her face, nuzzling her cheek with his own, still chirping. Giggling, Isabel hugged him, letting the Chao nuzzle her face. "Hey, Cheese," she said in greeting.

"Izzy!" She heard two joyful voices call out and braced herself as Cream and Charmy flew towards her, lightly crashing into her and hugging her legs, making her giggle again.

"Hey, Charmy. Hey, Cream," she said, gently patting their heads.

Vanilla, Cream's mother, smiled as she came forward. "So you're the girl I've been hearing about," she said. "My little Cream couldn't stop talking about you the other day."

"Of course, because she's our new friend," Cream said.

"Thanks, Cream," Isabel said, hugging the small rabbit back and then felt Vanilla pull them into a hug. She returned the hug, liking Vanilla right away.

Knuckles watched them as he came over to Sonic. "So, did you tell her the rules?" He asked.

Sonic nodded. "She accepted them and I showed her where the prison is so she knows to avoid it," he said.

"Good," the echidna said. "I'm sure she won't get into trouble, but it doesn't hurt to make sure she'll be safe.".

The blue hedgehog looked at him. "Going soft, Knux?" He asked teasingly.

Knuckles scowled at him before glancing at Isabel and his face softened. "Eh, guess she's grown on me a bit," he admitted. "And honestly, I'd rather have her surprise us with a visit than Eggman surprising us with another 'great master plan' of his."

The echidna made air quotations on that last bit, making Sonic laugh lightly. "That I have to agree on," he said as they watched Charmy playfully pull Isabel's hood over her head and she let out a playful cry, jumping up to catch him, making him giggle before they and Cream and Cheese decided to play tag, making the others smile as they watched.

* * *

 **Looks like Isabel's fitting right in with her new friends. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	3. Gems And Swords

**Chapter 3: Gems And Swords**

Isabel stepped out of the warp and looked around with a smile, seeing she was in one of the parks inside the city and glanced around, wondering if Sonic was nearby, but then saw someone who looked like Sonic, but was black and red. Realizing that this was Shadow, who she had heard about from Tails and Amy, she ran up to him and glomped him.

The unexpected move surprised Shadow and he yelped, dropping something accidentally from his hand and the object fell into the deep lake in the park. He groaned. "My Chaos Emerald," he said before looking to see the girl that was hugging him. He arched an eyebrow at her. "And who are you?"

She stepped back a little. "Someone who's going to get your Chaos Emerald back," she said before she dove in.

Shadow was surprised by her answer and watched the water closely. The lake wasn't murky, but it wasn't clear either, so he couldn't see her. A few moments later, she surfaced with a triumphant look on her face and the Emerald in her hand as she swam to the edge and climbed out, water dripping off her clothes, but she didn't seem to care as she shoved her wet hair behind her and handed the Chaos Emerald back to him. "Sorry about that," she said apologetically.

His expression softened a bit. Though she was human, she reminded him of Maria in a way and just as he could never be mad at Maria, he couldn't be mad at this girl. He then realized something.

"Wait, you must be the new girl that my double keeps talking about," he said.

She smiled. "Yup, that's me," she said. "And you're Shadow, right? Tails and Amy were telling me about you."

He nodded and she beamed. "I'm Isabel," she said, holding out her right hand. "My friends call me Izzy."

Shadow shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Isabel," he said. "So...what was with the surprise hug?"

She giggled. "I like giving hugs to my friends," she said before sobering. "But I didn't mean for you to drop your Emerald. Sorry."

He waved a hand. "Eh, don't worry about it," he said. "You got it back. By the way, that was brave of you to jump in the lake like that. There's usually a few Badniks that like to swim underwater and catch a lot of us off guard."

Isabel looked confused. "I didn't see any down there," she said. "Though it was dark. Maybe I dove down to fast for them to see me or come after me."

"Maybe," Shadow agreed. "And lucky for you and me, they didn't attack you if they are there."

She nodded before looking at the Emerald. Sonic had told her about the Chaos Emeralds and Tails had shown her drawings of them, but to see one up close was incredible. Shadow noticed her interest and chuckled. "Never seen a Chaos Emerald before?" He asked.

"Not a real one up close," she said. "Sonic told me about them and Tails showed me drawings of them, but to see one up close, wow."

He smiled. "Yeah, they are pretty awesome, but very powerful," he said. "Which is why we don't like it when Eggbreath tries to get his dirty mitts on them."

Isabel looked at him before it clicked. "Oh, you mean Eggman?" She asked.

He nodded. "That overweight gorilla is always trying to get his hands on these," he said.

The young girl was curious. "Hey, Shadow, can I...hold your Emerald for a moment?" She asked.

He would have normally said no, but she had fetched the Emerald out of the lake and it was her first one she had seen up close, so he nodded. "Careful," he said, handing it to her.

Holding the gem in both hands, she marveled at the brilliance and the superb cut of the Emerald, running her hands very carefully over the surface, her mouth hanging slightly open in her curiosity. The gem was cut like a diamond and had the shine of a diamond too and she could feel the power deep inside it, recalling Sonic saying that if the seven Emeralds were brought together, their power would be so enormous, it would be dangerous too. She then handed the gem back carefully to Shadow. "That is a powerful gem," she said. "What kind of powers does it have?"

"Well, that depends," he said. "Mine gives me a lot of power to fight my enemies, give me a speed boost, and other things, but not even I know the full power of it."

Isabel had a feeling of what could happen if the power was misused. "Could it be used...to destroy the world?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes," he said. "Something I doubt Eggman realizes or just doesn't care about."

She shuddered. "I hope he never finds them," she said, gently handing the Emerald back.

"Believe me, kid, the feeling's mutual," Shadow said as he began walking toward the center of the city and she followed, hoping to spot Sonic on the way, but she instead spotted Antoine, who was practicing with his sword with Bunnie, his wife, watching nearby. Shadow paused at seeing the girl's interest and smiled as she gave him a quick hug, promising to see him later, as she headed towards Antoine, who had just finished a series of moves and posed, making his wife smile before she saw Isabel coming towards them.

"Hon, we have a visitor," she said, standing up to greet the human. "You must be Isabel. Sonic told us about you."

The girl smiled. "That's me," she said, holding out her hand for a handshake.

The rabbit smiled. "I'm Bunnie," she said, shaking the girl's hand and then gesturing to the Mobian beside her. "And this is my husband, Antoine."

Isabel instantly liked Bunnie and looked eagerly at Antoine. "Those were some really cool moves you were working on," she said.

"Well, thank you," he said with a chuckle.

She looked more eager now. "Could you teach me how to use a sword?"

That question caught him off-guard. "Why do you want to learn how to use a sword, kiddo?" He asked curiously.

"Well, in one of my favorite books, the hero wields a sword and it made me admire the idea of wielding one myself," she said. "That way, I could have some means of defense if a Badnik cornered me."

He nodded. "Well, I haven't had a student before," he said. "But if you're eager to learn, then I'll teach you."

Grinning, she hugged him. "Thank you," she said softly.

Bunnie chuckled. "I think you're going to have a terrific student, hon," she said to her husband.

She was right on with that statement. Isabel took to the training naturally and practiced hard, impressing Antoine, who saw her potential grow under his guidance.

Sonic, who happened to be passing by and looking for Isabel, stopped when he saw the young girl thrusting out a sword the way Antoine did, copying his movements to the best of her ability and doing pretty good from the looks of it. Knuckles happen to be going by too and he was surprised to see Isabel studying how to use a sword and was going pretty good with it.

"That just might be something," Sonic said. "A human freedom fighter."

Knuckles looked unsure. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Sonic," he said. "What if she gets hurt or worse?"

Seeing the echidna was concerned for their friend's safety, the blue hedgehog nodded, knowing that Isabel had to always be safe. "I'll always make sure she's safe," he said. "Just like I do for the other Freedom Fighters."

"And we'll do the same," Shadow said, coming out. "Kid's got guts. And looks like she's got the spirit of a Freedom Fighter too."

Isabel continued with her sword lessons, growing stronger and more confident as she learned from Antoine. She smiled as she did so, feeling ready to defend herself in case she ran into trouble.

She of course hoped that wouldn't happen, but it never hurt to be prepared.

* * *

 **Looks like Isabel is going to be a Freedom Fighter. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	4. Friend Or Foe?

**Chapter 4: Friend Or Foe?**

Weeks turned into months and Isabel visited her friends whenever she could. It was a little tough when school had started, but she had found a way to visit them for a little bit after school and the best part was, some of them helped her with her homework. Tails was great at science and so would help her when she got stuck on science. Knuckles was surprisingly good at math and would help her out when some problems gave her a headache. Espio, who was big on history, helped her remember important dates in history with a system that he made into a game for her, which helped a lot when she had to study for tests. Sonic even took time to help her with spelling, which she appreciated from all of them.

She was also still doing lessons with Antoine, who was pleased that she had been practicing and had come a long way. She was always asking him about different ways to perform some moves, to which he was happy to demonstrate for her and she would mimic him, striving to get the move right the first time. Of course she knew only practice would make her good at the maneuver, but she was eager to please her teacher.

Bunnie even helped her learn. "You'll need to learn to have an advantage if you ever lose your sword in a fight," she said and Isabel nodded in agreement.

Being part cyborg, Bunnie could perform complex maneuvers and Isabel did her best to mimic her and even come up with some of her own, like diving back and sliding to grab her sword and then spin up while slashing her sword outward.

That had actually happened one day at practice. Antoine had decided Isabel was ready for a mock fight and so they used wooden swords for their safety. It has started out alright, but then Antoine struck a move that disarmed Isabel and she saw her sword spin away. Quickly, she ducked to avoid a swipe and did a mock kick upward towards her teacher's stomach before pushing back with her other foot and sliding on the ground and grabbing her sword before swinging her feet underneath her as if she was in a runner's position, to which she then sprung up, leaping over a low swipe and spinning around, slashing her sword outward as she landed on her feet. This maneuver knocked the sword out of Antoine's hand and Isabel rested the wooden blade of her sword on his shoulder. He smiled.

"Well done, Isabel," he said with a chuckle. "I wasn't expecting that maneuver."

"Bunnie taught me that one," she said proudly.

"I was wondering why it looked familiar," he said, looking at his wife, who pretended not to hear him. "However, you are far from surpassing me, little one."

She nodded. "I know," she said. "I still have a lot to learn and that's okay. I want to learn more."

"Ah, but you are a fast learner and a good student," he praised her.

"And don't tell me you're not proud of her for surprising you, hon," Bunnie said, hugging her husband from behind, playing with one side of his coat. "I happen to know you like it when I do it to you," she whispered in his ear.

Isabel giggled at seeing Antoine looking a little embarrassed as Bunnie laughed, kissing her husband on the cheek. "Go on, show Isabel that maneuver you showed me the other day."

A bit after practice, Isabel decided to go for a walk. Since she had met a lot of allies and got skilled up, Sonic decided she had earned the right to leave the city and explore on her own to gain independence. He realized there might be times that Isabel would be in danger and help wouldn't be able to reach her in time and so, as she got better with a sword, he trusted that if she ran into trouble, she could get out of it fairly easily while backup was coming.

As she was walking down the road, she ran into some Badniks and pulled out her sword as they came at her. She got in a ready position and tackled the Badniks, releasing the small creatures inside of them, which made her happy that she was able to free them. She even met some of Eggman's henchmen, who had no clue she was a Freedom Fighter, but still attacked her.

One thing Isabel kept secret as she battled enemies was that she was a Freedom Fighter. She didn't want them to know so that her friends would be safe, but also so that maybe she could gain some friends. Some of the enemies were simply misguided and could be a friend to her, she decided.

Enemies and Badniks didn't stand a chance against her, something even Shadow learned when he had been surrounded and outnumbered by some Badniks and Isabel had helped him out, impressing him with her skills.

Today, after trashing the Badniks foolish enough to take her on, Isabel continued walking until she came to the forest and decided to head in to see what the jungle looked like. It would be like an amazing adventure, she decided.

As she glanced around, she noticed something shiny and grew curious, going over to the spot which had what looked like ruins and vines. Pulling back some vines, she noticed it looked familiar and carefully reached for it, pulling it out and gasping in surprise. "The purple Chaos Emerald," she said to herself. This would be quite a victory for the Freedom Fighters.

An engine sound caught her attention and she turned to find Metal Sonic coming towards her. Gasping, she hid the Emerald in her pocket and glared at the metal doppelganger of her best friend.

"Human, what are you doing here?" Metal Sonic asked.

"Why should I tell you?" She asked him, pulling out her sword.

He growled and went to attack her, but she dodged and slashed at him, missing him, but making him frustrated and after a bit, he flew away and she quickly ran back for the city, eager to show the others her find.

* * *

Eggman was curious by what Metal Sonic told him. "A human girl?" He asked. "And she found a Chaos Emerald? Interesting."

"She's a fighter too," Metal Sonic growled. "I couldn't land a hit on her."

"Hmm, well then, I think it's time I met this girl," the evil doctor said before cackling. "Perhaps I can convince her to be my ally."

* * *

Back with the Freedom Fighters, Isabel showed them the Chaos Emerald she had found. "Wow! The purple one!" Cream said excitedly.

"Where'd you find it?" Knuckles asked.

"In the forest in some Ruins," Isabel replied before the Emerald became hot in her hand. "Ow!" She exclaimed, nearly dropping it. Sonic quickly grabbed it from her and they saw her hand was red, but healing fast.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"The Emerald bonded to her," Knuckles and Shadow replied at the same time.

"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.

"Well, the Chaos Emeralds are...sentient in a way," Knuckles explained. "But, it's rare that they actually bond with someone."

"Why would they bond to someone?" Tails asked.

"Perhaps because they can sense something inside the person holding them," Espio said. "The Master Emerald is in tune with Knuckles as he is the guardian of it and has a strong sense of justice. Shadow's Emerald must sense that he is willing to keep evil in check to have bonded with him and now this purple Chaos Emerald must have bonded with Isabel because it sensed she has a pure heart and is willing to fight evil and has a strong sense of justice too."

That made sense and Isabel was in awe. "So, if the Emerald is bonded to me...?" She began.

"It's now yours," Sonic finished for her, smiling as he handed it back to her. "You are now its guardian and you can work with it to use its power, though you have to be careful doing so."

The young girl was stunned. "Wait, so the Emerald...chose me to guard it?" She asked. "I can keep it?"

Knuckles nodded. "You can keep it, but you have to be very careful with it," he said. "Be cautious who you trust with it and keep it on you at all times."

She nodded as the shock wore off. "Wow," she said softly.

The next day, after sword practice, she went for a walk in the forest and suddenly felt the ground shake and Eggman suddenly appeared. "Ah, there you are," he chuckled.

"Eggman!" She gasped in shock, pulling out her sword as she realized there was no time to call for backup.

"Oh, come now, my dear," he said with a chuckle. "Surely we can come to an agreement?"

Metal Sonic was nearby and watching. Isabel watched them both. "What kind of agreement?" She asked warily.

"Oh, perhaps if you give me the Chaos Emerald you found, I'll make sure no harm comes to you or the others," the evil doctor said with a wicked laugh.

"In your dreams, Eggbreath!" She exclaimed, using the same nickname she had learned from Shadow.

Growling, Eggman began attacking and Isabel dodged the shots, swinging her sword and getting in a few hits, even forcing Metal Sonic to fly backwards to avoid her sword.

Isabel would freely admit that she was scared because she had not faced a powerful enemy like this before and she was afraid she wouldn't do well, but she fell back on what her friends had taught her.

It wasn't too long after that Eggman's machine was badly destroyed and he retreated, knocking Metal Sonic and making him fly into the forest and into some vines, which tangled up the metal hedgehog and he couldn't get free as he glared at Eggman.

Isabel, seeing this, felt bad for Metal Sonic and put away her sword, going over to him. He looked at her. "Well, guess you can finish me off," he said.

"How about I help you get free of these vines instead?" She said, moving the vines away.

He was soon free and he looked at her. "You are...different," he said, his voice curious.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Do you think...maybe we can be friends?"

Metal Sonic considered this and after a moment, he nodded. "I don't see why not," he replied before waving to her and flying away. She waved back to him and then headed back for the city. She had a few scratches, but was unharmed otherwise.

* * *

Sonic was terrified when he saw she was hurt and she told him and the others that she had a run in with Eggman, but had sent the overweight blob packing. She then looked at Shadow. "He hates the nickname 'Eggbreath'," she said with a giggle.

He chuckled, recalling how he had told her that nickname. "You know, we ought to give you some kind of tracker or a device that you can activate for us to pinpoint your location in case you run into trouble like that again," he said.

"I'm all for that," Isabel said. "I was pretty scared battling him."

"But you did good," Knuckles said, a note of pride in his voice.

"You sure did," Sonic said proudly. "Good job, Izzy."

She smiled and accepted the praise while thinking about Metal Sonic. He was a mystery, but could he be a friend to her?

She hoped so, as she liked him as a friend.

* * *

 **Whoo! What a chapter, huh? Next up: Isabel meets our favorite time-traveling hedgehog, Silver. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	5. Trackers And Telekinesis

**Chapter 5: Trackers And Telekinesis**

Isabel landed lightly on her feet after jumping through the warp ring and held out her hand, the ring shrinking and flying into her open hand. Grinning, she pocketed it and saw she was just outside the city hall. "Perfect," she said, now racing towards the Chaotix headquarters.

Arriving there, she saw the door open and cautiously entered, relaxing when she saw Vector sleeping on the couch. Espio, who had been sleeping, now woke up upon hearing Isabel enter and she gestured him to be quiet, grinning widely. He cocked his head in question, curious to see what she was up to. He noticed the door was open and deduced Charmy was outside watering the flowers and hadn't closed the door.

Isabel snuck up to where Victor's head was and leaned her face close so that her face was hovering over his. "Hi, Vector," she said, her smile huge.

The crocodile opened his eyes suddenly, letting out a shriek that he'd later vehemently swear didn't come from him and leapt up in shock. Isabel burst into laughter, holding her stomach as she laughed. Espio chuckled in amusement at the scene. "Looks like she's got stealth down pat," he said.

Vector gave him a half-hearted glare. "You've been teaching her stealth, no doubt," he grumbled without heat. He couldn't be mad at Isabel for catching him off guard, but he now grinned and turned to her, catching her in his arms. She let out a squeak before giggling as he playfully poked her sides, letting her up after a bit. "Espio been teaching you stealth manuevers, kid?" He asked.

She grinned. "No, but I was hoping to ask him if he would," she admitted.

"Well, you've certainly got a knack for it," Espio said. "How is your sword training with Antoine going?"

"Pretty good," she said. "It's his and Bunnie's anniversary today, so he decided we'd pick up on training later."

Charmy came inside, spotting Isabel. "Izzy!" He exclaimed happily, glomping her. She caught him and hugged him back, happy to see the flyer.

A call came in for Vector and he went to answer it while Charmy bid everyone farewell as he was off to meet another friend, so Espio decided it would be a good time to teach Isabel some stealth manuevers. He led her to the back yard where his training area was.

The young girl glanced around in awe. "Wow," she said, seeing the elaborate training field. Some of it looked like a tangle of vines or wood and looked impossible to get through. "How could you get through those and not get stuck?"

"That's one quality of being a ninja," he explained. "To navigate tight areas and not get caught. Even something that looks so tangled and impossible to get through can be conquered if a ninja manuevers themselves properly."

"Could you show me?"

He smiled. "Alright," he said.

As she watched, he manuevered the course expertly, landing lightly on his feet at the end. She applauded him and grinned. "Do you think I might be able to do that someday too, with some training?" She asked.

Espio smiled gently. "That course is more for advanced ninjas and takes years to master," he said gently. "But I can teach you how to get out of tight spots otherwise."

She nodded and watched him closely, trying to put herself in the same positions he was in. She almost lost her balance a few times, but caught herself and tried to get the position right again. "Move your left leg to the right a bit," the chameleon suggested.

She did as she was told and found her balance again before following him and landing almost perfectly on her feet, but she wobbled a bit. "Not bad for your first try," he praised her. "Try not to be so stiff though. The more stiff your body, the less balance you'll have."

"Okay," she said. "How do I keep my body from stiffening up?"

"With practice," he said. "As you keep practicing, try relaxing a little each time. And keep your knees slightly bent."

Isabel nodded, again following him through the movements. She did better, but was still a little stiff. "You make this look easy," she said without heat.

He chuckled. "Something that looks easy is usually hard to do and something that looks hard is usually easy," he said. "But there are exceptions."

She took a deep breath to relax and that helped her a bit. "Espio, would you be willing to train me too?" She asked. "I bet if I combined my sword training with stealth and ninja training, I'd really be able to send a Badnik packing."

He chuckled. "You would be a force to be reckoned with," he admitted. "But be careful you don't get too cocky. If you do, then you will lose the battle because you won't be focused. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Cockiness leads to mistakes and my enemy could captialize on that," she said.

Espio nodded, pleased she understood. "Then I'll be glad to teach you, young one," he said.

When Knuckles found them, Espio had tricked Isabel and had her pinned down, to which she groaned a little. "Espio, come on," she groaned good-naturedly. "I can't jump that high."

He chuckled. "Not yet, you can't," he said as he let her up. "We'll work on that next time."

Knuckles chuckled. "You still did pretty good, kid," he said, playfully ruffling Isabel's hair. "And he doesn't usually take in students, so he must see something in you to train you."

The young girl looked at Espio, who nodded. "You're a fast learner, Izzy," he said with a smile. "I can see Antoine's bragging was spot on."

She looked surprised. "He brags about me?" She asked.

"Of course he does, hon," came Bunnie's voice as she came up behind them. "He's proud to have you as a student."

Grinning, Isabel hugged her. "Happy anniversary," she said politely.

"Thanks, sugar. Antoine's looking for you. He's going to teach you a spin slash that he thinks you'll be able to learn quick."

"Okay," she said before hugging Knuckles and then hugging Espio. "Thanks for teaching me some ninja moves, Espio. When do you want me to come again for more practice?"

"Whenever you come for a visit," he said with a smile. "But you can practice what I've taught you so far at home as well to work on your speed."

"Okay, I will," she promised before going to find Antoine.

Meanwhile, Sonic was with Tails in Tails' lab. "How's it coming, Tails?" He asked.

"I'm almost done," the fox said.

He was working on a tracker for Isabel. It looked like an old-fashioned flip phone with blue and gold colors and had the same number pad as a cell phone, but also had a special button that would send out an SOS to the Freedom Fighters if it was pressed. The antenna had a fake gold ring around it, something that made Sonic smile. "She's going to love this," he said.

"I hope so," Tails admitted. "Sonic, what if...what if we don't get there in time to help her?"

"Don't worry, buddy. As soon as the SOS comes in, I'd be on the run to her location immediately. Not only that, she's been studying sword training with Antoine and from what he's told me, she's getting pretty good."

"Who's getting pretty good?"

At the sudden question, both jumped slightly, but relaxed at seeing a familiar silver-furred hedgehog. "Hey, Silver," Sonic greeted him. "Tails and I were talking about our friend, Isabel."

Silver cocked his head curiously. "I don't know anyone named Isabel," he admitted.

"She's a human from the human world," Tails explained.

The time-traveling hedgehog looked worried. "A human? Like...Eggman?" He asked worriedly.

"Nah, she's nothing like that overweight balloon," Sonic said. "She's cool and she's bonded to the purple Chaos Emerald."

Silver blinked. "She's...bonded to it?" He asked. "That's rather unusual."

"Believe me, we felt the same way," Tails said. "She found it one day in the jungle and it bonded to her. Not completely sure why, but it's in good hands with her. Not only that, she's nice."

Just then, Isabel ran in, giggling as she went up to Sonic, hiding behind him. He smiled. "What's up, Izzy?" He asked with a chuckle.

She grinned. "I bested Antoine," she said.

He blinked. "Seriously?" He asked in surprise. "How?"

She giggled. "I tricked him into thinking Bunnie was behind him and did a leg sweep on him," she admitted.

Sonic cocked an eyebrow. "Let me guess. He saw you tricked him and he's after you now," he said.

She nodded, still giggling. "And best of all, I used my Emerald to teleport," she said.

All of them blinked now. "You teleported?" Tails asked.

Isabel nodded and pulled out her emerald. "Watch this," she said and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. "Chaos control!"

With that, she teleported and landed right beside Tails, making him nearly jump out of his skin. Sonic grinned and Silver's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wow, that was pretty good, Izzy," Sonic said.

Antoine came in then and grinned. "Ah-ha!" He said.

"Eek!" Isabel squeaked and ran to escape, but the swordsman caught her, gently holding her upside down for a moment. She giggled as he smiled before setting her upright.

"Well, you used distraction to your advantage," he said. "Just don't overuse it or the enemy will catch on."

"Okay," she said, smiling and taking his words to heart. He was right and she didn't want her enemies to catch on her fighting style.

Silver floated to the floor, landing beside Isabel, who turned and looked at him curiously. Sonic smiled and went up to them. "Isabel, this is Silver, our time-traveling friend," he said. "Silver, this is Isabel, one of our human Freedom Fighters."

As Isabel had continued training over the last few months, Sonic had met with everyone and they agreed that Isabel could become an official Freedom Fighter. The young girl had been ecstatic about that, but still stuck to the rules she had been given when she first arrived and kept up with her training, hoping she wouldn't run into trouble like Eggman, but she was ready in case she did run into him again.

Silver smiled, holding out a hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you, Isabel," he said. "Sonic and Tails were telling me all about you."

"Really?" She asked, shaking his hand, liking him right away.

He nodded, still smiling before he remembered something. "Didn't I see you training with Espio earlier?"

She nodded. "He was teaching me some stealth and other manuevers," she said.

"That's what Vector meant that you were becoming Espio's shadow," Sonic said with a chuckle.

Tails smiled and gave the blue hedgehog a thumbs up. "All done," he said.

"What's all done?" Isabel asked curiously.

Antoine smiled. "Is it what we talked about the other day?" He asked.

"It is," Sonic said as Tails brought the tracker phone over to the group.

"Isabel, we made this for you," the fox said, handing it to her. "It's a tracker with a special button that sends us an SOS when pressed. It's also a phone so you can call us too."

The young girl accepted the gift and smiled, hugging the fox. "Thank you," she said happily. She had been wondering about how to get a call for help out to her friends in case she ran into some trouble she couldn't get out of.

Tails returned the hug. "You're welcome," he said with a smile.

Isabel hugged Antoine and Sonic too, hearing both chuckle softly as they returned the hugs. "Be sure to keep that tracker with you at all times," the blue hedgehog said.

"I will," she promised.

She then hugged Silver, who was a bit surprised, but he returned the hug. _She's an intriguing human,_ he thought to himself. _Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have her as a friend. We certainly could use more allies against Eggman._

None of them noticed Metal Sonic watching them, but for once, the metal hedgehog didn't attack. He simply observed, but he was mostly watching Isabel.

He nodded and flew out of the city, quietly swearing to himself that no matter what, he wouldn't let anyone harm Isabel. Not even Dr. Eggman.

* * *

 **I'm super sorry this chapter took so long to get out, everyone. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long.**

 **Hmm, it looks like Metal Sonic is willing to protect Isabel too. Curious, no?**

 **Next up: Cream and Charmy get kidnapped by Eggman. It'll be up to Isabel, Silver, and Shadow to get them back. Stay tuned! :)**

 **And please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	6. First Battle

**Chapter 6: First Battle**

Isabel was training with Antoine and Espio when a shrill alarm sounded out, forcing the young girl to stop and cover her hears against the loud noise. Her teachers also covered their ears until the sound stopped. "What was that?" Isabel asked.

"Someone tripped the alarm or someone is sounding the alarm because of an incoming attack," Antoine said.

"Isabel, get to Knuckles, quickly," Espio said.

Not daring to argue, the brown-haired girl ran as fast as she could, heading for the Chaotix Headquarters, which was thankfully only a couple blocks from where she had been training. She burst in, startling Knuckles and Vector, who had heard the alarm and were alert, but relaxed at seeing it was Isabel. "Isabel? What's wrong?" Knuckles asked. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Espio told me to get to you," she said. "There might be an incoming attack."

"It's worse than that, I'm afraid," came a new voice as a lynx-like person with black on the tips of her ears appeared. Isabel jumped a little, but then looked closer at the new person.

"Nicole?" She asked, recalling that she had seen this person before working with Sally.

Nicole smiled. "Hello, Isabel," she said pleasantly before her face grew somber. "I do wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances, but I'm afraid what happened was worse than an incoming attack."

"What happened, Nicole?" Knuckles asked, not liking the sound of that.

She looked grim. "Cream and Cheese are gone," she said. "From what I saw, Dr. Eggman's robot dragon kidnapped them."

Isabel growled and pulled out her sword. "Please tell me you know where he took them," she said.

"Isabel," Vector said. "I don't think it's a good idea if you try to go after them."

She turned to the crocodile. "Eggman kidnapped my friends," she said. "I'm sorry, but I can't sit by and not do something."

Nicole grew thoughtful. "Perhaps if she went with someone," she said. "Isabel has mastered many sword techniques and ninja techniques that she's learned from Antoine and Espio."

Knuckles gave it some thought and though he was unsure, he saw the determination in Isabel's eyes and he had to smile. He admired her guts and determination. "Okay, but only if you go with two others who have a lot of experience," he said.

"She can come with me," came a voice and they saw Shadow in the doorway, his red Chaos Emerald in his hand. "You got your Emerald, kid?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, clutching it tightly in her hand. "You know it," she said with a grin.

Silver showed up beside Shadow too, making the black-and-red hedgehog look at him. "Make sure you can keep up if you want to tag along," he said.

More than used to Shadow's gruffness, Silver nodded, smiling when he saw Isabel. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded. "I'm ready," she said.

"Be careful," Knuckles said.

"Come back in one piece," Vector said.

Shadow smirked. "When have we never come back in one piece?" He asked cockily before taking off fast. Silver reached out with his telekinesis to lift up Isabel, who smiled in appreciation before they both flew to catch up with their comrade.

"I'm so making Eggbreath pay for kidnapping my friends," she growled out.

Silver chuckled a little. "Save that temper for when we get there," he said, ruffling her brown hair. She gave him a half-hearted glare before smiling and smoothing down her hair.

Shadow was underneath them and he smirked at seeing the two overhead. He saw Isabel grip her sword and he nodded. He had to give the kid kudos. She was tough as nails and a fighter. No wonder Sonic had decided to make her a Freedom Fighter. She definitely had the heart of one.

At the edge of the forest, they came to a stop as they saw a glint of silver against the trees. "I think we're getting close," Silver said.

Isabel got out her phone. "I think we should call the others for backup," she said. "No telling how many Badniks Eggbreath's got inside."

"We can handle it," Shadow said flippantly.

"But what if we can't?" Silver countered gently.

The black-and-red hedgehog growled at that, but then saw Isabel look at him. "Please, Shadow? Just in case?" She asked.

He sighed before nodding. "Okay," he said. "For you, kid."

Smiling, she quickly sent out the SOS. A moment later, Sonic appeared beside them with Tails, the Chaotix, and several of the Freedom Fighters. "Huh. Typical of Eggman to leave his base unguarded," the blue hedgehog said with a scoff.

"Just because there's no visible guards doesn't mean it's not guarded," Espio cautioned.

Shadow scoffed. "I got this," he said and zoomed ahead, making it to the entrance and blasting the door open. Surprisingly, no alarms sounded and no guards came out.

"That doesn't look right," Isabel said. "Either Eggman doesn't think we'll find him or...he's not here," she said.

A sharp clanging sound reached them and Silver grew worried, as did Isabel. "Silver, can you get us in there?" She asked.

He nodded. "Through the vents," he said.

Going up to the base, which looked like a large rocketship, he pried off a grate and went down first, flying down with Isabel safely over his head in case they had to back up.

They landed after a moment and found themselves in a hallway and found Shadow beating his fists furiously against what looked like air. Silver cocked his head to the side. "Shadow, why are you punching air?" He asked.

Isabel got closer and put out a hand, feeling her hand meet resistance a moment later. It felt smooth and when she gave a light knock, it echoed a little. "It's glass," she said. "There's like a glass barrier here."

She took out her sword and tried slashing at the glass, but it did little good. Shadow appreciated that she was trying though. He then got an idea. "Isabel, use that spin slash of yours," he said. "I'm going to try something."

She did what he asked her to do without question, slashing at the glass again. When she did, a beam of light hit the exact spot where she had made her mark and to her surprise, the glass cracked, but still held up. She looked up at Silver. "Silver, can you break it the rest of the way?" She asked.

He nodded. "Stand back," he said.

Shadow put Isabel behind him and stood back as Silver pushed out his hands with a psychic knife attack. It hit the glass dead on and made it shatter to reveal Dr. Eggman standing by a console and Cream and Cheese were in a nearby container that was made of glass.

"Mr. Silver!" Cream exclaimed happily before seeing the other two. "Mr. Shadow! Isabel!"

Cheese cheered happily too while Eggman glowered at the three.

"Hold on, guys," Isabel said. "We'll get you out of here."

"Not before I launch us into space!" Eggman said and pointed to a console. "One push of this red button and it's bye-bye time!"

Shadow smirked. "You mean the red button that's now a pile of scrap?" He asked.

Eggman whirled around to see that the console was destroyed. A quick slice of Isabel's sword through the controls that controlled the cage around Cream and Cheese and the two were free, hugging Isabel, who hugged them back.

"NOO!" Eggman screamed as he scrambled out another exit, setting the self-destruct.

"He's set the self-destruct!" Silver cried out.

"Let's get out of here!" Isabel exclaimed, pulling out her Emerald. "Chaos Control!"

With that, she vanished along with Cream and Cheese. Taking her cue, Shadow also teleported, as did Silver. They made it to the forest where the others were waiting. "Self-destruct!" Isabel cried out as she ran by.

Everyone started running, making it far enough away so that when the explosion hit and shook the ground, it only made them stagger around a bit.

After the shaking stopped, they headed for the city where everyone congratulated Shadow, Silver, and Isabel for giving Eggman the boot once again and Vanilla was so relieved that her daughter and the little Chao were safe that she hugged the three too. Shadow grimaced while Silver looked a bit unsure, but Isabel returned the hug, feeling Cream hug her again and feeling Cheese nuzzle her face in gratitude.

Sonic, Knuckles, Espio, and Antoine smiled as they watched. "If she gave Eggman a headache now, wait until she's older and more experienced," the swordsman said.

"She'll be even more a force to be reckoned with," Knuckles said with a grin.

"She has loyalty, dedication, and respect," Espio said. "Good qualities of a Freedom Fighter."

"I knew she was meant to be one the day she appeared out of the Warp Ring she found," Sonic said with a proud smile.

The others nodded, pleased Isabel's first battle since she had begun training had gone well, but they knew Eggman would be back.

Hopefully not too soon though.

* * *

 **Well, looks like Eggman is up to his old tricks again. Will he ever learn? XD**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


	7. A New Friend

**Chapter 7: A New Friend**

After a day of school on a Friday, Isabel was excited for the weekend and to spend it with her friends on Mobius. Once she got home and in her room, she took off her backpack and got a smaller one on and put her Emerald, a few sandwiches, a bottle of water, one of her Percy Jackson books and a mini medical aid kit inside it. Since she has been dealing with a sword, might as well carry bandages in case of an accident. Isabel pulled out her Warp ring and jumped through it once it became bigger then when she was on the other side, she held out her hand and the ring flew into it, shrinking back down to normal size and she put it away in her pocket.

She looked around and noticed she was in the forest. And so, doing what Sonic told her, she put her hood on and started walking towards the city until she heard a loud thud, chains rattling, and something cracking behind her. It sounded like something or someone fell, and the cracking sounded like a thick log being snapped in half. She quickly looked up to see the sun setting and then decided to run towards the sound, investigate quickly, then go towards the city before dark.

She soon found what caused the sound. A giant cage by a very thick tree, made of thick logs of wood with chains weighing it down and wrapped around the logs. The chain were rusted and the wood cracked from either age or the chain. The cage was big enough to hold an elephant, but the person that was inside that sprang the trap was _WAY_ smaller than an elephant, but bigger than a mouse. It was a black creature with green/yellow eyes, horns on the sides of its head. It wore red boots, white gloves, a grey belt around the body with a big yellow M, on its back looked like a jet pack with red straps and a dark greenish-blackish satchel on his side with the same-colored strap hanging from the right shoulder. The creature looked like it was recovering from being startled by accident springing the trap before glaring at her in disgust.

"Who and what are you?" Isabel asked curiously.

"Some one who's trapped, Freedom Fighter!" The creature snapped at her rudely, the voice sounding squeaky and male. "It seems I was proven right; the doctor was right talking about Sonic taking in a human Freedom Fighter wannabe!"

Isabel gave him an annoyed look before turning around the other way and walking. "Hey, where are you going?!" The creature asked, not in a rude, but confused tone.

"To the city," she said as she kept walking. "Have fun sleeping in that cage tonight until someone comes to save you."

"Wait! Come back! I'm sorry for being rude, just please let me out!" The creature said in worry. Isabel stopped and turned back to him.

"I'll do it if you apologize," she said.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you, Isabel," the thing said.

Isabel cocked her head. "How do you know my name?" She asked him.

"I sometimes eavesdrop on conversations," the thing said politely. "Now can you please let me out?"

Isabel nodded and climbed the tree until she saw a rope that was possibly connected to the cage, so she grabbed it and let herself fall. The cage lifted and the creature crawled out.

"Okay, you can let go now!" The creature said. Isabel let go and landed on her feet, standing up right before the thing hugged one of her legs. "Thanks for saving me," it said with a smile. "And my name is Bokkun, I'm one of Eggman's robots. Well, I'm actually a messenger robot, not combat."

"Nice to meet you," Isabel said, kneeling down to his height to shake his hand, finding him to be rather cute once he lost the attitude.

"Nice to meet you too, Izzy," Bokkun said. "I know we don't have a lot of time, but can you meet me here tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah sure," Isabel said before she started walking backwards towards the city. "It was nice meeting you, Bokkun!"

"You too, Izzy!" He said before turning around and activating his jet pack, flying to Eggman's base.

Isabel turned around and ran to the city, making it back before the sun disappeared behind the horizon. She breathed heavily as her hands were above her knees as she leaned over. Her heart was racing, her lungs ached and she felt so hot. Taking off her jacket, she sat on the ground by the entrance of the city, eating a sandwich to regain energy. Once she finished, she went inside the city and hung out with the others, then eventually, decided stayed the night there.

* * *

The next morning, Isabel met up with Bokkun the next morning in the woods, but it took him a longer time to meet her because he was held up by Eggman. "I thought I'd never get out of there," he said, coming up to the meeting spot. Seeing her, he ran forward and hugged her leg happily.

Isabel smiled as she looked down at him. "Hi, Bokkun," she said. "I was wondering where you were."

"Sorry, Eggman held me up," he said.

She grew a bit worried. "You didn't tell him about meeting me, did you?" She asked.

"No," he said truthfully. "I like you, Isabel, because you helped me. Plus...," he trailed off, looking shy. "I was hoping maybe you could help me?"

"Help you with what?" She asked curiously, seeing he was looking really shy.

"Well, you know Cream, right?" He asked. "The rabbit with the Chao named Cheese?"

"Yeah, she's one of my best friends," the girl said. "What about her?"

Bokkun turned red. "Well...don't laugh, please?" He asked her.

Okay, now she was curious and she cocked an eyebrow at him. "I won't laugh," she promised.

He took a deep breath. "I...um...I have a crush on Cream," he admitted, his face going redder.

Now seeing why he was so shy, she smiled. "I can see why," she said. "Cream is very sweet."

"And pretty," he said before looking hopeful. "Isabel, will you help me? Will you give a gift to Cream for me without her knowing it's from me and that I like her?"

The girl smiled. "Sure, I can do that," she said. "Although, are you sure you don't want to give it to her yourself?"

She asked this gently and he nodded. "I wish I could, but...I don't want Sonic or the others to see me and...I don't want Eggman to find out either."

She nodded, seeing his dilemma. "Okay," she said. "What did you want to give Cream?"

"Well, I saw this rock crystal in one of the stores when I was in the city last time," he said. "It's a really pretty pink color, like a sunset."

"She'll love that," Isabel said with a smile as she knew Cream liked the color pink.

Bokkun looked relieved and gave Isabel some gold. "Remember, don't tell her," he pleaded.

"I won't," she promised.

After Bokkun left, the girl walked to the city, glancing around at the stores before spying some rock crystals in one shop window, seeing the one Bokkun had mentioned. The price was 12 G, which she figured meant twelve gold coins. She walked in and went up to the counter, spying a bird Mobian sitting there. "Hello," she said pleasantly.

The bird looked up and smiled. "Ah, the human Freedom Fighter," he said, standing up. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to purchase that pink rock crystal you have displayed in the window, please," she said.

He went and got it, wrapping it carefully and handing it to her with a smile. "It's your lucky day," he said. "Today is half-off day. 6 gold coins, please."

Smiling, she handed him the coins. "Thank you," she said, heading out. She liked how the clerk had wrapped it up prettily. "Cream is really going to love this."

Just then, she heard an explosion and looked up to see one of Eggman's robots and Eggman was right behind him. "You useless robot!" He cried out angrily.

Isabel gasped at seeing Bokkun trying to get away, but he was badly injured. Sonic and the others came running up and the girl handed the wrapped crystal to Cream. "Hold onto this, please," she said before running up and using a trick Espio taught her, she leapt from the buildings, leaping into the air as the robot hit Bokkun hard enough to knock him out. "Bokkun!" She cried out, reaching out and catching the small creature, landing on her feet before glaring at Eggman. "You monster!"

Knuckles and Sonic looked at her in surprise before looking at each other. "Okay, how does she know who he is?" The echidna asked.

"Good question," Sonic said.

Eggman glared at her. "That double-crosser deserved it!" He said. "Going behind my back to meet up with the likes of you and then thinking he can keep his crush a secret!"

Amy looked confused. "Izzy, what is he talking about?" She asked.

The girl glared again at Eggman. "So you think Bokkun met up with me to tell me your plans?! As if I couldn't already guess them!" She shot back. "And keep your mustache shut about his crush!"

"Oh, he's too shy to say it, is he?" Eggman said with a wicked chuckle. "Hmm, how would Vanilla feel if she learned one of my useless robots had a crush on her daughter?"

Bokkun looked horrified that the plan had fallen apart and now the cat was out of the bag. He looked up at Isabel, who he saw was glaring at Eggman. "Bokkun isn't one of your robots! He's my friend!" She said, pulling out her sword while she held the small creature protectively.

"Attack!" The doctor said to his robot.

"Not so fast!" Sonic said before leaping into action with Amy, Knuckles, and Silver right behind him, all four attacking the robot while Isabel leapt into the air again, raising her sword and bringing it down on Eggman's flying plane. Wires crackled and as she hit the ground, two explosions rang out and Eggman was blasted away along with the remains of his ruined robot.

Isabel looked at her friends, who looked like they wanted to know more about her friendship with Bokkun and the little creature looked ready to run. He levitated in front of Isabel. "Well, thank you for helping me, Isabel, even if...everything's ruined now," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Bokkun," she said sincerely, looking sad.

Shadow came up to them. "Izzy, what's going on?" He asked, keeping his tone even so that she wouldn't think he was scolding her.

Sighing, Isabel turned to them. "I met Bokkun yesterday when he got caught in a trap by accident," she said. "I helped him out and we became friends. He didn't hurt me."

Bokkun nodded. "I've been watching you all for a long time, but without Eggman knowing," he said before looking shy. "And...he was right about me having a crush on Cream."

His whole face went red and Isabel placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bokkun asked me to help him get a gift for Cream without her knowing it was from him and I agreed," she said before nodding at Cream. "That gift is for you, Cream. From Bokkun."

"Hold up," Knuckles said. "It's not something that will explode, is it?"

"No," the girl said. "It's something she'll really like. Bokkun was really thoughtful in picking it out for her."

Sonic moved closer and listened for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead, Cream," he said, willing to give the benefit of the doubt for now.

The rabbit opened the gift, her eyes lighting up at seeing what it was. "It's so pretty!" She said as the light shone on the crystals, making it sparkle.

Everyone was surprised at that before Espio smiled a little. "Could it be a certain someone is willing to turn from their ways and help us fight Eggman?" He asked.

Knuckles didn't look too thrilled about that. "If he stays, Isabel or Sonic keeps an eye on him at all times until we're sure he can be trusted," he said.

"That's fine with me," Sonic said with a nod.

Isabel was relieved that it went over well and smiled at Bokkun. "What do you think, Bokkun?" She asked.

"Well," he said, looking a bit sheepish. "Can I really stay here?"

"Yes," Sonic said. "Under a few conditions. One: no explosive devices. Two: you are to stay with either Isabel or me at all times until we know we can trust you. And three: you help us battle Eggman."

Bokkun nodded. "Okay," he said, landing beside Isabel, who smiled at him.

Cream went up to him. "You asked Izzy to get this for me?" She asked, holding up the rock crystal.

He blushed. "Yes," he admitted. "I...I was afraid you wouldn't like it if you knew it was from me."

Giggling, the rabbit gave him a cute kiss on the cheek, making him blush redder. "I like it," she said. "Thank you, Bokkun."

Now the little creature's face was as red as Knuckles' fur, making everyone chuckle in amusement as they watched, hoping that they did have a new ally on their side.

But that would remain to be seen.

* * *

 **A/N: Lantern Power and I wrote this one together. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


End file.
